Former Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) says it is more likely that a biological weapon of mass destruction will be used in an attack than a nuclear weapon. He says there has been an “explosion in the biological area of capabilities.” (0:20)
Former U.S. Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.) quotes a fellow member of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism. He says the risk of the use of weapons of mass destruction is growing but the U.S. is doing things in an attempt to prevent it. He says the U.S. is “running” but terrorists are “running faster.” (0:42)
By Courtney Ann Jackson-Talk Radio News Service
Weapons of mass destruction may not be a phrase the public hears as frequently anymore, but they are still a major issue according to former Senators Bob Graham (D-Fla.) and Jim Talent (R-Mo.). The politicians participated in a discussion Monday at the Heritage Foundation where they reported that the U.S. is uneasily vulnerable to a biological terrorist attack.
“It is more likely that that weapon of mass destruction will be a biological weapon rather than a nuclear weapon. I mentioned that there has been an explosion in the biological area of capabilities…The thing that has kept us from a biological weapon thus far has been the unreliable defense of ignorance,” said Graham.
The findings come from the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism. Graham and Talent were the chairman and co-chairman of the Commission while in Congress.
Talent added that the U.S. is “running” to prevent any attacks but our opposition is “running faster.” He said terrorists will recruit life scientists to utilize bio weapons. However, he added that a biological attack is easier to prepare for than a nuclear attack.
Graham and Talent believe Vice President Joe Biden should be put in charge of combating the use of WMD and assuring that all precautions are made.
Graham predicted that by 2013 a WMD will be used somewhere in the world.
In the event that there is a large-scale attack Talent said, “People will want security, no matter what, to prevent a repeat of it.”
Bruce I. Turner, acting director of the Office of European Security and Political Affairs from the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, says that nature of security threats have changed and that weapons of mass destruction have fallen into the hands of non-state actors. Turner points out that the emergence of competing powers has made it more important to cooperate with other countries which share the same values.(0:53)
In his speech addressing Congress before the full committee hearing on his nomination to be reappointed to grade of general and to be commander of the United States Central Command, General David Petraeus said there are four concerns. The first is violent extremism, including but not limited to al Qaida. Second, weapons of mass destruction and lack of transparency by countries such as Iran, which he said is a major cause of concern. Third, lack of sustainable economic development in the Middle East, which is a serious security concern, as poor communities can cause hotbeds of extremism. Fourth, narcotics and arms smuggling which can threaten legitimate operations and can help out terrorists. While this is not an exhaustive list, he said, this is a basic list. (more…)
Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith says that he sometimes wonders why more probing questions were not asked to expose the error of assuming Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. He says that part of the answer is that the conclusion the CIA came to about stockpiles made a lot of sense under the circumstances, and that there was a powerful logic to support the conclusions. He says it was perfectly logical to assume Saddam had something to hide, since he fought the inspectors and wanted out from under the economic sanctions. (1:20)
